What Is The Risk Of Heart Problems After The Vaccine
Studies from Israel and the United States have linked both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines to rare heart issues called myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis, an inflammation of the hearts lining. But the number of cases remains exceedingly small, and the conditions appear to be temporary. Studies have shown that coronavirus itself, which can infect the heart, is much more likely to cause heart problems compared with vaccination.
The incidence of myocarditis following vaccination varies with age, sex and dose and across studies. But the trend so far suggests that the chances are highest after the second dose of an mRNA vaccine in males aged 16 to 29.There are roughly 11 cases of myocarditis for every 100,000 vaccinated males in this age group, one study estimated. The odds of myocarditis decrease with age.
There were not any cases of heart problems in the 5 to 11 age group, but the trial was probably not big enough to detect whether these conditions might appear with any frequency in younger children.
Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the F.D.A.s vaccine advisory committee, said Covid-19 was much more likely to cause heart problems because the virus can infect and damage the lining of the heart. That would be the decision point I would make for my child, he said.
Kids Who Get Covid Are At Risk Of Other Heart Issues
Its important to remember that your kids are more likely to experience heart issues caused by a COVID infection than as a side effect from the COVID vaccine. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control , kids with COVID have a 30 times higher risk of myocarditis compared to kids without COVID. Looking at data from 900 hospitals, they found that from March 2020 to January 2021, out of 65,000 kids under 16 diagnosed with COVID-19, 86 were diagnosed with myocarditis. Only 132 out of 3.7 million kids without COVID developed myocarditis.
This is because viruses, including COVID, can lead to inflammation of the heart muscle. COVID targets our ACE receptors, explains Karatzios. ACE receptors are what controls our blood pressure and they are found throughout all our blood vessels, throughout our heart muscle, through the smooth muscle all throughout our veins and arteries, and our hearts.
To Karatzios, whats even more concerning is the risk of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children , which can affect the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs and usually comes on two to six weeks after an initial COVID infection . During the second wave, I was seeing about one to twocasesa week on average. Forty percent of children with MIS-C, at least in our cohort here, needed to be in the ICU because of cardiac dysfunction.
How Vaccines Are Given
Most vaccines are given by needle in the upper arm or thigh. Some vaccines, like the rotavirus vaccine, are given by mouth. There’s also a flu vaccine for children that’s sprayed into the nose.
Some vaccines are given separately. Others, like the MMR vaccine, protect against 3 diseases in one vaccine.
Your child’s immune system can learn from more than 1 vaccine at a time. For instance, babies can respond to 10,000 different antigens at any one time.
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Arkansas Governor Tells Biden That Federal Governments Purchase Of Rapid Tests Could Limit State Solutions
WASHINGTON Asa Hutchinson, the Republican governor of Arkansas, praised the presidents plan for the federal government to purchase and give away 500 million rapid at-home tests beginning next month, but he said that decision limited the number of tests that are available for governors to purchase for their constituents on the open market.
One word of concern or encouragement for your team is that as you look toward federal solutions that will help alleviate the challenge, make sure that we do not let federal solutions stand in the way of state solutions, Mr. Hutchinson said during a video briefing call with governors and the White House.
He added: The production of 500 million rapid tests that will be distributed by the federal government is great, but obviously that dries up the supply chain for the solutions that we might offer as governor.
Mr. Biden did not address Mr. Hutchinsons concern in his opening remarks to the session. He said his administration moved quickly to increase the supply of tests but acknowledged that his team was caught off guard by the surge in demand.
We went from no over-the-counter tests in January to 46 million in October, 100 million in November and almost 200 million in December, he said. But its not enough. Its clearly not enough. If Id if wed known, we would have gone harder, quicker if we could have.
Can Schools Require Covid Vaccines For Students
The answer depends on whether your child attends public or private school. Private schools, day care centers and camps can decide whether to require students to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
For public K-12 schools, vaccination requirements are largely left up to the states. All 50 states have legislation requiring specified vaccines for students, such as measles and polio, although no state currently requires children to receive the Covid-19 vaccine to return to school, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
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Kids Have A Generally Low Background Risk Of Myocarditis
According to Kwong, kids, in general, get myocarditis at lower rates than other age groups. Weve looked at hospitalizations and emergency department visits for myocarditis pre-pandemic, and its a lot lower in the 5-11 and the 12-16 age group compared to 16-19 and 20-24, he says.
This bodes well for what we might see in terms of rates of heart inflammation post-vaccine in a younger age group, he explains. The background risk is a lot lower in these younger kids. So even if the COVID vaccine was to increase the risk by a certain factor, it will have less of an effect. Well see fewer cases, just because they have a lower baseline risk.
Where Can I Have My Child Vaccinated
More than 20,000 pediatricians, family doctors, pharmacies and other providers are getting ready to administer vaccines to young children, said Jeffrey Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator. Check your local health department website or speak to your pediatrician for details, or visit vaccines.gov to find a location giving shots to children. Some sites may require appointments, while others will offer shots on a walk-in basis. The full childrens Covid vaccination program should be fully up and running sometime during the week of Nov. 8, said Mr. Zients. Read more: How to Get a Covid Shot for Your Kid
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Where Cases Are Higher Than Last Winters Nationwide Peak
Fourteen states have reported more daily average coronavirus cases per capita than the highest-ever daily average of U.S. cases per capita, reached in January 2021.
- Cases
The numbers point to the ease with which Omicron is spreading across the country, even as some studies from overseas suggest that the variant might cause less severe illness. Experts warn that the surge of infections, combined with the fact that tens of millions of Americans remain unvaccinated, could still create a severe strain on the U.S. health system and lead to many more deaths.
On Friday, before holiday interruptions to data reporting began to affect daily case totals, the seven-day national average of new daily cases surpassed 197,000, a 65 percent jump over the past 14 days. Deaths also increased by 3 percent during that time, to a seven-day average of 1,345, according to a New York Times database.
The national record for average daily cases is 251,232, set in January during a post-holiday surge.
Hospitalizations are up, too, although not as much as cases. Nearly 71,000 Americans are hospitalized with Covid-19, 8 percent higher than the previous week but still well below previous peaks.
From Dec. 5, there has been a fourfold increase of Covid hospital admissions among children in New York City, where the new variant is spreading rapidly, the New York State Department of Health said in an advisory. About half were under 5, and not eligible for vaccination.
Side Effects Are Similar Across All Age Groups
The good news is, theres nothing new or different about the vaccines side effects in the younger population. And if anything, the few thousand children who participated in the clinical trials and received Pfizers two-shot, small-dose regimen its one-third the dose given to individuals 12 and older experienced fewer symptoms than vaccinated adolescents and adults. Whats more, no serious safety concerns were observed in the study.
Pain at the injection site was the most common complaint, according to study data presented to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions advisory committee, with about 70 percent of kids in the 5-to-11 age group reporting it after each vaccine dose. Nearly 40 percent of the trial participants experienced fatigue after the second shot, about 28 percent had a headache, around 12 percent had muscle pain and about 10 percent reported chills.
Not only are these self-limiting side effects similar to those seen in adults who got the COVID vaccine, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a recent press briefing, but theyre comparable to the symptoms that occur with other vaccines recommended for children, including tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis and the flu vaccine.
Top 5 Side Effects Seen in Kids Ages 5 to 11
The most common side effects after the second dose of Pfizers 10-microgram COVID vaccine in clinical trials for children ages 5-11.
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What Do We Know About The Long
Scientists have only a few months of data on young children. But given that the mRNA molecule in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines mimics a natural human process, experts say they are confident that the vaccines are safe for growing bodies.
Dr. Kristin Oliver, a pediatrician and vaccine expert at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, said parents had raised concerns about whether the vaccine could affect puberty or fertility. There is not a biologically plausible reason the vaccine would affect those areas, she said.
Im a worrier, Dr. Oliver added, and this possibility of unknown long-term side effects from the mRNA vaccines just isnt keeping me up at night.
Another common worry among parents is the effect of a new drug or vaccine on brain development. Dr. Offit noted that the body had a blood-brain barrier that prevents most proteins from entering the brain. Your brain is an immunologically protected site, he said.
Many Parents Wont Vaccinate Their Kids Heres Why
Even parents who are enthusiastic about the vaccines may not want their young children to be first in line.
About the author: Aaron E. Carroll is a professor of pediatrics and the chief health officer of Indiana University.
The announcement that the Pfizer vaccine appears to work in children ages 5 to 11 is welcome news for many families across the United States. Parents who expect their childrens classrooms to soon be full of vaccinated students shouldnt be overly optimistic, though. Many moms and dads will wait to get their kids immunized, if they do at alland that includes those who are vaccinated themselves.
Although about two-thirds of adults and 83 percent of elderly Americans are fully vaccinated, the percentage of vaccinated adolescents is much lower. The Pfizer vaccine has been authorized for 12-to-17-year-olds since May, but only about half of kids ages 16 and 17 are fully vaccinated. Only 42 percent of those ages 12 to 15 are.
Research bears this out. The C.S. Mott Childrens Hospital National Poll on Childrens Health found that across the United States, more than half of parents of children ages 3 to 11 said they were unlikely to have them vaccinated against COVID-19. A Kaiser Family Foundation national survey found that only 26 percent of parents would vaccinate their 5-to-11-year-olds right away.
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According To The Most Recent Available Data From The State Department Of Health Just 42 Percent Of All Eligible Public School Students 5 Years And Older Are Fully Vaccinated
PROVIDENCE, R.I. A top public heath official is concerned that fewer than half of all eligible K-12 public school students in Rhode Island have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
According to the most recent available data on the state Department of Healths new website showing vaccination rates among all eligible public school students 5 years and older, 48 percent are partially vaccinated and 42 percent are fully vaccinated.
As of Wednesday, about 74 percent of the states total population had been fully vaccinated, according to department data.
Im concerned about, certainly, younger folks, Dr. Philip Chan, consulting medical director for the department, told WPRI-TV.
He said while parents being concerned about the health of their kids is normal and reasonable, the coronavirus vaccines have been out for well over a year, we know that theyre safe and effective.
The lowest vaccination rates tend to be at elementary schools where many students only recently became eligible.
Chan also noted a disparity of higher vaccination rates at more affluent suburban schools and lower rates at schools in poorer urban areas.
Younger people are less likely to become severely ill or die after contracting the virus, medical experts say, but the latest surge of infections in Rhode Island is hitting younger people the hardest.
France Sets New Restrictions Amid Record Cases
The French government on Monday set new limits on large public gatherings and stricter remote-working obligations but announced few other restrictions and kept schools open, sticking to its strategy of relying mainly on vaccinations to curb a record-breaking surge of cases.
A new wave is unfolding across our continent with the Omicron variant, Jean Castex, Frances prime minister, said at a news conference on Monday after a special cabinet meeting. But, he said, vaccination remains at the heart of our strategy.
France reported over 100,000 new cases on Friday, a record, and the average number of daily cases reached 70,000 over the past seven days, Mr. Castex said. Our health workers are exhausted, he added, warning that hospitals were coming under increasing strain.
But Mr. Castex said the government wouldnt prolong the winter break and keep schools closed or impose a curfew on Dec. 31. He urged people to limit the size and number of their New Years Eve gatherings.
Instead, the government will limit the size of large public events, to 2,000 people for indoor settings and 5,000 for outdoor ones, for at least three weeks starting next Monday, Mr. Castex said.
All of this feels like a never-ending movie, Mr. Castex acknowledged. But he said France was far better off from last year thanks to its vaccination campaign. We must continue and amplify this progress, to face the new wave, he said.
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White House: 10 Percent Of Children Aged 5 To 11 Have Received First Shot
The White House says that about 10 percent of children aged 5 to 11 will have received at least their first COVID-19 vaccine shot within the two weeks since it became available to the younger age group.
More than 2.6 million 5- to 11-year-olds are expected to have gotten their first dose by the end of the day on Wednesday, officials said during a briefing, citing the strength of the administrations vaccination rollout for children, which has been fully operational for 10 days.
Jeff ZientsFive areas where Biden faces pressure to do more on COVID-19FDA authorizes second COVID-19 pill, from MerckBiden resists shutdowns as omicron threat risesMORE contrasted the timeline with the 50 days it took to reach 10 percent of adults with one COVID-19 shot and with the three months it took in the 1950s to get 2.5 million children vaccinated against polio.
We know there’s more work to do, but these milestones represent critical progress and show we are on the right track in our fight against the virus, Zients said.
Childrens vaccinations also doubled in the first full week of the program, compared to the previous week, with 1.7 million kids getting their shots last week. The number of vaccination sites available to children also increased by 50 percent to 30,000 last week.
More Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data on child vaccinations is expected later this week as the agency awaits data from states and providers, he said.
Cdc Recommends Pfizer’s Covid Vaccine For Children Ages 5 Through 11
A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that only 27% of parents planned to rush right out and get their 5- to 11-year-olds vaccinated for COVID-19. A full 30% said they definitely would not get their children vaccinated. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has raised alarms about misinformation, pleading with parents to do their research using reliable sources and to talk to their children’s pediatricians if they have questions.
Some parents have complained about having trouble finding appointments. Still, over the weekend, social media was flooded with pictures of masked children sporting brightly colored band-aids.
Dose #1! A good day. Get vaccinated. Lots of options for locations and times. Check out for more information. Now itâs ð¦time!
â Liz Olson
“And it’s going to give millions of American parents peace of mind,” President Biden said at a virtual political fundraiser Tuesday night, touting the newly available vaccines for children.
First lady Jill Biden is expected to travel across the country in the coming weeks, visiting schools and making direct appeals to parents to protect their children through vaccination.
If enough parents vaccinate their children, it could go a long way to restoring normalcy for elementary schools. Many have had to put students on “pause” after close contact with an infected classmate, disrupting in-person learning. Some school districts have even had to shut down entirely for a week or more to try to break the chain of infection.
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